Days 77 - 78 - Joliet, IL

Watching the sun rise from a pool of gold on the water, we cruised north on Lake Michigan. Ever so gradually we saw Chicago appear snuggled in a cloak of fog. As our distance lessened., she shrugged of the cloak and rose majestically.

When we reached Navy Pier, we called for the lock and the great gates opened before us. From the bow I grabbed one of the hanging lines, but the stern was already being pushed from the wall by the turbulence in the emptying lock, and Bob had to approach again before we could each grab a line to hold Osprey to the wall. The drop was only 4 feet, so we were quickly on our way through the heart of Chitown.

Skyskrapers spiked above us as we cruised under the multitude of bridges. We'd taken down the mast and bimini, so we didn't have to request any bridge openings. When we came to the Amtrack Railroad Bridge, it was down. We'd been told it was down except when a train was coming. Sure enough, a short train raced by. We waited for the bridge to lift. And waited. Eventually we saw a slew of orange-vested people at various levels of the bridge. We tried to yell to ask when it would open, but we couldn't hear eachother. Finally, another boat, Kon Tiki, called on the radio from the other side. The captain of Kon Tiki had walked to the bridge to get us information. The bridge was closed for a few days for repairs, but they were just about to do some test lifts and we could go under when they did. We circled in front of a park with a pretty red pagoda-like shelter watching people do Tai Chi, for about an hour, and then the bridge lifted and we were on our way. The orange-vested crew wished us well and told us how lucky we were that we arrived just when we did.

The next segment of our trip took us through a narrow part of the river that was lined with docked barges and filled with tows and barges that took all the remaining width of the waterway. Bob proved his mettle as a top-notch captain by ducking in, circling, and avoiding the commercial traffic. It was stressful for us both.

Next the fish barrier. We knew they were now letting pleasure boats pass under their own power "on a case-by-case basis." Several miles from the electrified zone, we were handed a leaflet by a Coast Guard vessel, then we phoned for approval to cross. We were given many warnings about the dangers and safety precautions

• Wear life jackets
• Remain seated
• Don't touch metal or water.
• If anyone or thing falls overboard or the boat becomes disabled, the Coast Guard cannot assist, and you must not try to retreive it until past the barrier, because you cannot make contact with the water or anything touching the water.

We were to call when we arrived at mile 297. There was nothing to indicate the mileage or that the barrier was near, but apparently, after a short time, we were there. A Coast Guard Auxiliary boat waved us over and said we didn't have authorization to cross, but that they'd call for us. "There's commercial traffic, and they have the right of way. It'll be about a 2-hour wait." They said. They called again when they realized there was nowhere to dock and with all the barges, it wasn't a safe place to circle for 2 hours. We only waited 15 minutes and were hailed through uneventfully . . . and FREE! We did the happy dance.

No longer carp captives, we continued through one more lock, a 40 foot drop, with another looper boat, Where's Linda. After the lock the engine bogged down a couple of times. Where's Linda agreed to stand by in case we needed assistance. Thankfully, we didn't, and after eleven hours on the underway, we tied up for free dockage at Billie Limacher Will-Joliet Bicentennial Park in Joliet, IL on the Illinois Waterway.

The following day we remain here, and Bob is correcting a small problem with the engine. Thank goodness he is such a handyman!

We plan to have dinner tonight at Harrah's Casino across the river.



Addendum: When the drawbridge adjacent to our mooring opened for this tow pushing 12 barges, I had to snap some photos.